Hellobee

As a WOHM (Work Out of Home Mom), I’m faced with the daily challenge of making myself presentable each morning with a very limited amount of time and energy to do so. There are a couple of areas where I still need to get my act together (ahem, hair and wardrobe) but I’ve pretty much got a routine down pat when it comes to my makeup. My makeup routine takes a maximum of 10 minutes (out of my 30 minute get ready time) and includes a full face of makeup on work days. Here are the products that make it all possible.

I’m going to start with the basic skincare regimen I use daily to keep my skin protected from sun damage, fine lines and wrinkles!

1) Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant – When I last got a facial, I asked the esthetician what one simple step she would recommend to stave off the beginnings of fine lines and wrinkles, which I’m starting to see these days. She immediately mentioned SPF moisturizer, which I already used, and exfoliation. I use a tiny bit of this powder in the shower about 3-4 times a week. It’s a quick step I can do while conditioning my hair. I like buying the small travel size because once moisture gets in the container, it’s ruined… so since I keep this in my shower, I’d rather risk ruining a small travel-sized container than a big expensive one.

2) Neutrogena Alcohol-Free Toner – I put a bit of this on a cotton round and put it all over my face right after my shower. Since I’m not religious about deep cleaning my face every day, I like this toner to remove any remaining makeup, dirt, or oil after my shower.

3) Oil of Olay Complete All Day UV Moisturizer, SPF15 – My mom is the queen of makeup and skincare. She’s tried it ALL from high-end brands to Korean brands to drugstore brands, and she swears by this moisturizer. I love it, especially since it’s sold at Costco! It’s light and absorbs quickly and has never made me break out. Between this SPF15 and the SPF20 in my foundation, I feel my face is well-protected every day.

F A C E

Here’s the main event!! Just a note… I am OBSESSED with makeup vlogger Jen From Head to Toe, so a lot of these come from her recommendations and reviews. She and I have the same skin tone (and we’re both Korean… but I think that’s where the similarities end since she is the tiniest person ever!) so I am very lucky to be able to just go out and purchase the shades she likes for herself, and they usually work PERFECTLY on me!

4) Sigma Brushes – Jen From Head to Toe uses these brushes and I finally broke down and got myself a set last year. And I love them. I got the travel set which comes with a cute case that also serves as two cups to hold the brushes standing on my dresser. I use every single one of these brushes except the eyeliner brush every single day.

5) Bare Escentuals READY SPF20 Foundation and Bare Escentuals Precision Face Brush – I loved Bare Minerals from the first moment I tried it… but I hated the mess of a loose powder. They just came out with this mess-free compact version and I absolutely love it. I love that if I fall asleep with it on my face (or don’t wash my face very carefully) it won’t have a bad effect on my skin. I also splurged on the precision face brush which gives very full coverage for a powder foundation. I use my Sigma pencil tip brush with the same foundation as concealer.

6) Urban Decay Naked Flushed Palette – I absolutely love this palette! It is my first foray into both bronzer and highlighter, and I think both are SO wonderful for contouring color onto your face. I use my Sigma full face brush to put bronzer along the sides of my cheeks and under my chin, and I use my Sigma flat foundation brush to sweep highlighter along the tops of the apples of my cheeks. The blush color in the palette is a bit bright for everyday use for me, so instead I use….

7) Benefit Dallas Blush – This is the perfect shade for a subtle everyday pink under my cheekbones. I use my Sigma angled blush brush with this. I completely used up my previous favorite, Tarte Amazonian Clay blush in Exposed, and I wanted to try something new, and I love this color even MORE.

E Y E S

8) Urban Decay Naked2 Eyeshadow Palette – I absolutely love this eyeshadow palette. Every color is flattering on my skin tone and the general theme of taupes, golds and greys is great for everyday looks. I even use the brush included with the palette for application, and I use my Sigma blending brush to blend. I usually use three shades every day: a light shade for brow bone highlight, a medium shade for eyelid shade, and a darker shade for the “crease” shade (I don’t have a crease… so lots of blending involved there).

9) Lash Card – I discovered Lash Card from a Birchbox that was gifted to me by my lovely friend (and fellow makeup enthusiast). It’s simply a small card that has a large curve and small curve side, and you place it above your lashes so that you can freely apply mascara coats without getting mascara on your eyelids. SUCH a simple idea, and seems kind of silly, but what it does for me is that it lets me apply as MANY coats of mascara before my quick-drying formula dries. Some days I find myself putting TEN coats on. And then when the mascara on your wand runs out, you can keep using it as a de-clumper since the Lash Card is behind your lashes. I curve the Lash Card to fit the curve of my eye, and I re-use them about 3-4 times before discarding them and opening a new one.

10) Maybelline Lash Stiletto Voluptuous Waterproof Mascara – Oh, mascara. I’ve been through so many, and every time I fall in love with a quick-drying mascara that lengthens, it gets discontinued. (RIP L’Oreal Le Grand Curl and Maybelline Sky High Curves.) For me, it’s most important for a mascara to dry quickly so that the wetness of the mascara doesn’t straighten my freshly curled lashes, because I HATE curling my lashes after mascara has dried… clumpy sticky mess that makes you lose precious lashes!! Lash Stiletto doesn’t lengthen nearly as much as my two past discontinued loves, but for now it does the trick. They also came out with this voluptuous version that also thickens, and I’m pretty happy with it. But the final piece of the puzzle that leads to long, curled, thick, non-clumpy lashes…

11) Lioele Auto Eyebrow Pencil – I’ve learned over the years that a charcoal grey eyebrow pencil works best with black eyebrows. I love the shape of this eyebrow pencil, and it’s super cheap and lasts forever. Since I have wonky eyebrows that end way before they should, I use this every day to even them out and extend the line to where it should go.

12) Eyeko Skinny Liquid Eyeliner – Since I have monolids (no eyelid crease), a thick bold line is necessary for eyeliner to even show up at all when I open my eyes. I’ve tried every kind of eyeliner, and for me a pen liquid eyeliner is best for applying a thick, solid line and no smudging. This eyeliner doesn’t budge ALL day long unless it gets very wet and I wipe my eyes or something. But at the same time, it comes off easily with a makeup remover wipe. And applying it is as easy as two swoops of the pen per eye. But with as much eyeliner as I go through, this relatively inexpensive pen ($16 at Sephora) is still too pricey for me, so I’m looking for a drugstore alternative. I haven’t found one that I’m in love with yet. If you have a suggestion for me, please let me know in the comments!!

13) Shiseido Eyelash Curler – I’ve also tried many eyelash curlers in my lifetime, and the Shiseido seems to be the one that fits my eye shape the best, while featuring a very firm rubber pad, which is important to get the maximum curl with minimum effort. I need to pause here and give credit where credit is always due for my eyelashes… when I first met my college roommate and maid of honor during college freshman orientation, she taught me how to curl my eyelashes (I had always curled them before, but she taught me to REALLY curl them) and she also taught me that there’s no such thing as too many coats of mascara.

L I P S

14) Revlon Lip Butter in Peach Parfait – This is one area I don’t pay attention to very much, since my lips are very full and my eyes are usually very dramatic, so I keep my lip color very natural. As Jen From Head to Toe would say, My Lips But Better (MLBB) shades are my go-to. Right now my favorite affordable MLBB lip shade is this Lip Butter.

So there you have it!! My skincare and makeup routine each morning. And I swear, the makeup takes me no longer than ten minutes.

Do you have any awesome daily routine products to share? I’m always looking for the next great thing to fall in love with!!